It's Not Too Late to Plant Tulips!
Tulip bulbs are typically planted in the fall, but what happens when you forget to plant them and it鈥檚 already January? You plant them anyway鈥攊n the ground or in pots! Here are my tips on how to plant bulbs in winter or late in the season.
What Do You Do With Forgotten Tulips?
A few Januaries ago, I came across a bag of tulip bulbs that had gotten misplaced in my gardening shed. Evidently, the dozen tulips hid when I had planted over 150 other bulbs in the previous October. I was looking forward to seeing this variety鈥檚 colors lining my garden path. At least, that was the plan.
After doing a little research, I came across a on top of the ground and late in the season, done by Cornell University.
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- Researchers found that you can grow gorgeous tulips in only mulch, 2 inches being the optimum depth. They experimented with mulch layers up to six inches deep and determined the two-inch covering (renewed every autumn) produced the largest amount of flowers and the most vigorous plants.
- If you are looking at unplanted bulbs in December or January or even February鈥攇et them in the ground. Don鈥檛 wait for spring or next fall. Bulbs aren鈥檛 like seeds. They won鈥檛 survive out of the ground indefinitely.
How to Plant Tulips in Winter
According to the Cornell study (done over a six-year period), you should plant tulips during winter in this way:
- Clear away snow and loosen soil, if possible. If not, choose an area with soil full of organic matter.
- Scratch in bulb fertilizer. If the ground is totally frozen, scatter fertilizer sparingly and over a larger range than normal.
- Place bulbs on top of soil. Do not press them in, as this will damage the bulb base, where roots form.
- Cover with 2-4 inches of aged mulch or finished compost. Go for the thicker layer if planting during the height of winter, like I did.
- Renew mulch covering often to be sure there is at least a two-inch layer.
Before you plant those forgotten bulbs, make sure they鈥檙e still good. Gently squeeze them and if they are firm (not dry or spongy), they are probably fine. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Planting in Pots
If the ground is too frozen for digging, another option is to plant the bulbs in pots!
If you try this, keep the pots in a cool unheated area with temperatures between 38掳F and 50掳F (3掳C and 10掳C)鈥攁n attached garage or a home refrigerator often does the job. Water them and keep the soil moist but never soggy. After 8 or more weeks, bring a few pots indoors. Or, once spring begins to warm things up, move the pots outdoors to bloom.
What If Bulbs Come Up Early in Winter?
It鈥檚 not uncommon to have a mild winter and find your tulips or daffodils or other spring bulbs are sprouting. Don鈥檛 worry about this. Let nature take its course. Spring bulbs shrub off cold weather and even snow. These bulbs are built to survive the cold and even snow. Small bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus actually bloom through the snow. It鈥檚 possible that a hard frost will affect the buds or leaf tips, but the bulbs should still flower.
Bottom-line: Take your chances. No matter what, the bulbs are better off giving it a fighting chance in the ground or a chilled pot than wasting away in the garage or cupboard. Flower bulbs are survivors by nature鈥檚 design. Every year stories abound of bulbs that bloom after being planted under the most improbable circumstances.
Want more advice on planting and growing tulips? See our Tulips Growing Guide, as well as Fall Bulbs: Planting for Spring Flowers.
Doreen G. Howard
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can I plant my tulips in pots? it's winter right now, would I keep the pots in the garage or place them outside?
I ready your article about planting tulip bulbs in the winter, but I have daffodils that I could not plant in the Fall. The company from which I bought them told me to put them in a bucket with soil or peat moss in layers. They are in my garage. Can I still plant these bulbs using the method you suggest for tulips? Thank you, Randy
I got sick and was unable to finish planting my daffodil bulbs can I still plant them like the tulip described above.
I visit here often and always have my handy paper version of the Farmers 蜜桃恋人 as well : ) but my question for anyone whom has an answer that will solve this issue once and for all I will be grateful infinitely. I have peach, pear, fig, blueberries, bananas, grapes and various forms of citrus trees, all are organic and aside from my citrus that barely provide any fruit the rest are extremely bountiful however aside from the fig tree which I have built a cage around we are not able to enjoy one peach, pear or grape thanks to the squirrels that we have even seen eat an orange. The peach tree is very large and though we use to build a cage around it too of different types of chicken wire etc. we are no longer able to do this as it is 35-40 ft. tall and each year it bears an extremely healthy supply of fruit but the squirrels eat all of it even before it is ripe and we are hopeful that you will have a suggestion that will finally end this. We are in North Florida and it is just today finally getting warm outside and we live in a bird sanctuary which is lovely as we have bird houses around our house in various locations allowing us to enjoy them starting a family every year and we have no problems with the birds just the squirrels whom this year already within a week have eaten almost 200+ unripe peaches. We are hoping we may contact you and hope to salvage the remaining few hundred we have left : )
Thank you so much
We, or at least I, an 蜜桃恋人 editor, feel your pain and know your hunger. I too have a peach tree 鈥攏ow鈥 for the squirrels. I got mouthwatering fruit the first year, then they discovered it. A few years ago a master gardener suggested hanging sparkly Christmas ornaments on the limbs. The 鈥渟hine鈥 would deter the critters. Well, only during the day. In the morning I would find barely nibbled hard peaches on the ground. And only for a while. A few of the ornaments are still on the tree. I asked everyone I met or thought might have a good answer. Even the cooperative extension service (at least the one I contacted) could provide no advice. A grower at a farmer’s market was mum. Of course, he had a field of trees; perhaps he built loss into his season. If you ever learn of a fool- (squirrel-)proof way of keeping them away, please share.
The only advice you might find helpful is to pick the peaches well before they are ripe, and ripen them indoors/in a protected area. They are not quite as good as tree-ripened, but you feel at least like you kept the squirrels from the entire harvest.
In my experience, any bird or animal will eventually get used to whatever you try as a deterrent. In the Spring, I've seen birds sit on the heads of the plastic owls with the swivel heads in the orchard. They sit right next to the sparkly objects hanging in the cheer tree and peck away at the fruit. When I used to have a lawn, the gophers would dig right next to the battery operated "mole poles". I decided it was time to share with the wildlife. I'm happier for it. Bird nets on the fruit trees would probably help, but I'm too lazy! LOL
I meant "Cherry" tree!
... year after year?
It depends a lot on where you live. Tulips perennialize only when they get very warm to hot DRY summers; too cool, or too much rain, and they just sit there and rot. I've had success in zone 6a with a raised rocky bed-type area to the south of a high fence, under a large tree, and in the lee of a shed, so it doesn't get as much rain as elsewhere, and what it does get drains very quickly. If you have somewhere to plant them that drains sharply, and that you can forgo watering over the summer, I'd give it a shot!
I have just inherited a pot of spent tulips. I would like to plant them in my garden. How is the best way to handle this situation?
